In-Ward

In-Ward is a choreographic work by Alexandra ‘Spicey’ Landé and Ebnflōh Dance Company, and produced with the support of CCOV-Centre de creation O Vertigo.  In-Ward plunges us into the deep waters of the human psyche depicting the overlapping of feelings, and the subtle contradictions of the unconscious—both individual and collective—while faced with forced confinement, sharing same spaces, and isolation.  The choreographer delves into the layers of our social fabric attempting to make sense of these ambiguous contradictions with which we must come to grips further pushing her artistic aspirations by building bridges between Hip-Hop culture and contemporary dance.

The oft heard quote, “Hell is other people.”, culled from ‘No Exit’ (a play from existential philosopher/author Jean-Paul Sartre) ignited the creative process wherefrom the choreographer and six dancers plumb the complex depths of human relations, and the deep ambivalence toward their relative coexistence.  Forced to live together in a limited space, forming perhaps unlikely alliances, these individuals and their bodies must reconcile temptations to be alone with a threat of real conflict. With raw and sharp physicality, Alexandra subtly combines dramatic tension, and dark humour in dealing with obvious situational absurdities that grapple with the forces of hope.  By 20^th century standards in existential thought, human beings define themselves by action and non-action.  Sartre deals with the whole question by emphasizing our personal relations with the other: intersubjectivity. In-Ward explores the concepts of difference; the double conscience; the collective; and most of all intersubjectivity. Are we able to perceive and understand the other’s experience without the biases of our own subjective experience?

For In-Ward, Alexandra ‘Spicey’ Landé has assembled an artistic team comprised of 6 highly skilled dancers, along with choreographers Anne Plamondon and Helen Simard as artistic advisors, as well as renowned Hip-Hop beat maker and producer, Shash’U, involved from the very start as sound designer (djshashu.com).

Total running time: 60 minutes.